Curcuma plant named ‘Thai Beauty’

ABSTRACT

A distinct cultivar of Curcuma plant named ‘Thai Beauty’, characterized by its compact growth habit with flowers positioned above the foliage; outwardly arching leaves; freely branching growth habit; early and freely flowering; and purple-colored flower bracts.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Curcumaplant, botanically known as Curcuma alismatifolia, and hereinafterreferred to by the cultivar name Thai Beauty.

The new cultivar is a product of a planned and controlled breedingprogram conducted by the Inventors in Thailand. The objective of thebreeding program is to create compact Curcuma cultivars with unique andattractive flower bract color and shape. The new cultivar originatedfrom a deliberate cross by the Inventors between two unidentifiedselections of Curcuma alismatifolia. The cultivar Thai Beauty wasdiscovered and selected by the Inventors as a plant within the progenyof the stated cross in a controlled environment in Thailand inSeptember, 1997.

Asexual propagation of the new cultivar by tissue culture of meristemsand by rhizome divisions in Tirat Yehuda, Israel, has shown that theunique features of this new Curcuma plant are stable and reproduced trueto type in successive generations of asexual propagation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The new Curcuma has not been observed under all possible environmentalconditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations inenvironment such as temperature, light intensity, fertilizer rate,irrigation amount and frequency, and/or propagation procedures without,however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the unique characteristics of ‘Thai Beauty’. These characteristics incombination distinguish ‘Thai Beauty’ as a new and distinct cultivar:

1. Plants of the new Curcuma are compact with inflorescences positionedabove the foliage.

2. Plants of the new Curcuma are outwardly arching forming a broadinverted triangle.

3. Plants of the new Curcuma are freely branching.

4. Plants of the new Curcuma are early and freely flowering.

5. Plants of the new Curcuma have purple-colored flower bracts.

6. Plants of the new Curcuma produce three to five rhizomes per plant.

Plants of the new Curcuma differ from plants of the parent selections inthe following characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Curcuma are much more compact than plants of theparent selections.

2. Leaves of plants of the new Curcuma are outwardly arching whereasleaves of plants of the parent selections are upright and erect. Plantsof the new Curcuma are outwardly arching and broad whereas plants of theparent selections are upright and erect.

3. Plants of the new Curcuma have much smaller leaves than plants of theparent selections.

4. Plants of the new Curcuma are more freely branching and more freelyflowering than plants of the parent selections.

5. Plants of the new Curcuma have a more rapid growth rate and flowerabout two weeks earlier than plants of the parent selections.

6. Plants of the new Curcuma have purple-colored flower bracts whereasplants of the parent selections have light pink-colored flower bracts.

Plants of the new Curcuma differ from plants of the cultivar ThaiSupreme, disclosed in U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 09/569,356,in the following characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Curcuma are shorter than plants of the cultivarThai Supreme.

2. Plants of the new Curcuma are not as freely flowering as plants ofthe cultivar Thai Supreme.

3. Plants of the new Curcuma and the cultivar Thai Supreme differ inflower bract coloration.

4. Inflorescences of plants of the new Curcuma are positioned above thefoliage whereas inflorescences of plants of the cultivar Thai Supremeare positioned at or just above the foliage.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPH

The accompanying colored photograph illustrates the overall appearanceof the new cultivar, showing the colors as true as it is reasonablypossible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in thephotograph may differ slightly from the color values cited in thedetailed botanical description which accurately describe the actualcolors of the new Curcuma. The photograph comprises a top perspectiveview of a typical plant of ‘Thai Beauty’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following observations and measurements were recorded on plantsgrown in Tirat Yehuda, Israel in polyethylene-covered greenhouses andunder conditions which closely approximate those used in commercialhorticultural practice. During the production of these plants, daytemperatures ranged from 25 to 40° C., night temperatures ranged from 20to 28° C., relative humidity was about 60 to 70%, and light level rangedfrom 70,000 to 100,000 lux. Plants used for this description were grownas single rhizomes and were about 3.5 months old.

In the following description, color references are made to The RoyalHorticultural Society Colour Chart except where general terms ofordinary dictionary significance are used. Numerical measurementsrepresent averages from typical plants of ‘Thai Beauty’.

Botanical classification: Curcuma alismatifolia cultivar Thai Beauty.

Parentage:

Female and male parents.—Unidentified selections of Curcumaalismatifolia, not patented.

Propagation:

Type.—By tissue culture of meristems or by rhizome divisions.

From tissue culture, time to initiate roots.—About 20 days at 25 to 30°C.

From tissue culture, time to produce a rooted liner.—About 60 days at 25to 30° C.

Rooting characteristics.—Freely branching; cream-colored.

Number of rhizomes produced per plant.—About 3 to 5.

Rhizome diameter.—About 1.75 cm.

Plant description:

Growth habit.—Compact; upright, but outwardly arching; broad invertedtriangle. Very freely branching with about 10 shoots forming from asingle rhizome. Appropriate for 12 to 15-cm containers; typically onerhizome per container. Used as a potted plant and also as a gardenplant.

Plant height.—About 35 cm.

Plant diameter (area of spread).—About 30 cm.

Growth rate.—Rapid growth rate.

Crop time.—About 3.5 months are required to produce a finished plant ina 12 to 15-cm container from a single rhizome.

Leaf arrangement.—Arrangement: Rosette. Shape: Elliptic. Apex: Narrowlyacute. Margin: Entire. Length, mature leaves: About 40 cm. Width, matureleaves: About 27.5 cm. Aspect: Initially upright, then almosthorizontal. Texture: Smooth. Color, upper and lower surfaces: 147A to147B.

Inflorescence description:

Arrangement.—About 10 terminal inflorescences develop from a singlerhizome. Inflorescences are dense spikes with numerous bracts andbracteole flowers in bract axils. Inflorescences persistent.

Time of flowering, time to flower.—In Israel, plants from rhizomesplanted in early May will start flowering about 3 months later in earlyAugust and will continue to flower until November. Flowering continuous.

Inflorescence longevity.—Inflorescences last about 23 days on the plantand about 7 days as a cut flower.

Rate of inflorescence opening.—Inflorescences are open about five daysafter the stage of the bud showing color.

Fragrance.—None detected.

Inflorescence size.—Length: About 10 cm. Diameter: About 4 cm.

Flowers.—Length: About 3 cm. Diameter: About 1.2 cm. Shape: Zygomorphicwith one upper petal, two lateral petals and one lower petal. Color:Upper petal: Upper surface, 90A, with white, close to 155D, veins; lowersurface, 155D. Lateral and lower petals: Upper surface, 155D with 90Atowards the margin; lower surface, 155D.

Flower bracts.—Quantity: About 13 per inflorescence. Shape: Almostcircular. Apex: Rounded. Margin: Entire. Texture: Thick, leathery,glabrous, waxy. Length: About 5 cm. Width: About 4 cm. Color: Uppersurface: Initially green, then becoming purple, 75C; apex, reddish.Lower surface: Initially green, then becoming purple, 80B; apex,greenish brown.

Peduncle.—Length: About 12.5 cm. Angle: Upright, erect. Color: 144B.

Seed.—Length: About 3.5 mm. Diameter: About 2.5 mm. Shape: Oblong.Color: 168A. Germination percentage; Less than 40 percent.

Disease/insect resistance: Plants of the new Curcuma grown in commercialgreenhouses have not shown any unusual susceptibility to pathogens orinsects common to Curcuma.

Low temperature tolerance: Plants of the new Curcuma will toleratetemperatures as low as 5° C.

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Curcuma plant named‘Thai Beauty’, as illustrated and described.